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and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program on
behalf of the Board of Trustees of the University of
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Copyright, 2005, University of Florida.
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This oral history may be used for research,
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SAMUEL PROCTOR ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM at
the University of Florida
UL 5A
Page 1.
INTERVIEWER: Lew Barton
INTERVIEWEE: Mrs. Loraine Burnett Brooks
February 27, 1975 dib
B: This is February 27, 1975. This is Lew Barton recording for the
American Indian Oral History Program at the University of Florida.
This is a telephone interview with Mrs. Loraine Brooks. It's
the Afro American and Indian Commission?
L: itwleihag. e5
B: Wk-sh2, go ahead.
L: The state of Maryland. I am on the Board of Directors for the
Maryland Action Committee for Foster Care. I am on the Committee
for the Fall Festival for Baltimore County Public Libraries. I
believe that's all I'm really involved in right now/other than what
we mentioned a few minutes ago.
B: Let me ask you one question, will you repeat the name of your position
again so I can get that very correct.
L: I am a teacher for the Department of Social Ser-, I mean Juvenile
Services in the state of Maryland. I also am in charge of the
Exposure Program where we invite agencies from the Baltimore area to
come out and to talk'to the telhs who are detained at the Maryland
Train? School for one to thirty days. These agencies are people
in the community that can give help to these stdes while they
are in the training school or maybe when they return to the communi-
ty they can help them in getting jobs or getting involved in communi-
ty activities.
UL 5A
Page 2. dib
B: t4=Jgb, sounds great, keep going. You want to give me anything else.
L: Well, I've, over the years I've been at the Maryland Training
School, now sixteen years.
B: That's good, now you're talking, keep talking.
L: I have been very much involved in the activities with the young
men herejand try to work so that many of them have returned to
the community and have been good citizens. I understand a lot
of them have gone into, finished college and a lot of them have
becomeaavewdm in businessraPkAparaEa, AM many of them
have been rehabilitated. -SfL maybe all this don't sound right,
but anyway...
B: It sounds, it sounds very right. I've got a story going in my
head. Go right ahead.
L: whMf well, maybe you can just fill in where I've stopped or made
a boo boo, but the fact is that we have three children.
B: -AetanJgggr give me their names and ages.
L: Charles, who is twenty-one, Helen who is twenty, and Helena, fifteen.
Helen has just finished college and she's teaching in HarfordCounty,
cA Qro ICC
Maryland. Charles is working in a .akhoelag plant in Baltimore. Helena
is attending Catholic High. She's in the ninth grade.
B: That's in Baltimore.
L: Right.
B: 1MMMh. And you also find time to do some lecturing on Indian...
L: Right.
B: ...problems and so on.
UL 5A
Page 3. dib
L: Right.
B: Conferences and so on.
L: Right.
B: How about other, how about ladies. clubs do you have time for those?
L: No, I'm not involved in that)right now, but ,viB aw we got a
letter from John Hopkins. They were very appreciative. I-Sa4ag
*-agak, In-1`1 1.1 ....T tjj t I belong to United Indians.
I actively take part in their meetings. I'm on the advisory council
there.
B: 4p A what the official name of that organization?.
L: United Indians of Maryland.
B: The United Indians of Marylaned .
L: Right.
B: Any other organizations?
L: No, well, the Native American Scholarship Fund, I'm on that committee,
too, also.
B: %ZbSSi. That's good. Come on, give me some more.
L: I can't think.
B: Oh me, you're getting 4inatoae genp"s.
L: Well, this is over the telephone thaa S-r-f C. ,
B: Well, that's the best way to do it, yeeg so they won't be sitting
there staring at you thinkingsytryefa, you're not going to get
nervous anyway.
L: No, but my thoughts are not together. Maybe I should start over
UL 5A
Page 4. dib
O-n CL,
Just go all the way through, but maybe you could...
B: I think I can get it from what you've given me. If not I'll call you
back, O.K.?
L: Well...
B: I'd like to get it done tonight before I go to bed. But I know
you'll be going to bed, but I want enough information that I can
go ahead with it, you know.
L: Well, let me get my evaluation that I P1,a- .mamdm., received today
from my supervisor, and read you some of what he has said. Then
maybe you could tie it together. O.K.?
B: O.K., good for you.
L: We call it 'The Thing.' O.K. I'll read you this evaluation...
B: O.K.
L: ...from my supervisor, and it more or less spells out what I'm
doing. It said, "Mrs. Loraine Brooks, Educator, assigned to the
detention program for the 1974 calendar year, is being rated over-
all superior in the four work areas: work quantity, work quality,
work attitude and work habits.
B: Hey, that's great.
L: Mrs. Brooks has been charged with the responsibility for the conducting
of the educational experiences for the students being detained at
this agency in attendance at the junior school. In the preparation
of educational materials for the students on detention, Mrs. Brooks
has equipped her reading laboratory,-- I'm a reading specialist--
with the necessary supplies and equipment to handle and assist
UL 5A
Page 5. dib
the needs of the students being detained. She has developed a
creative program to meet the needs, or isolated needs of the
students being detained at the Maryland Training School for Boys.
Mrs. Brooks' work, no, Mrs. Brooks, along with her responsibility
for a program fothe student's educational experience in the class-
room, has been charged with coordinating of an Exposure Program
of the seventies. As a part of the educational program Mrs.
Brooks has worked long and hard hours toward giving that little
_cth_- and seeing that her responsibilities are completed in
a successful manner. I have observed Mrs. Brooks in her class-
room setting and noted that she is always prepared to meet unusual
and usual circumstances. She is always prepared for a meaningful
educational experiences to meet the needs of the students in her
classroom. Mrs. Brooks'classroom is warm and cheerful,and it provides
the kind of atmosphere condusive to educational learning. Mrs.
Brooks takes the time on a daily basis to welcome each individual
student who, for the first time, is entering her classroom. She
is patient, kind and sbugr understanding. I have also observed
Mrs. Brooks fulfilling her responsibilities as a coordinator for
the Exposure Program. She has spent a great deal of her time con-
tacting citizens and persuading them to visit the institution and
participate with the students who are detained at this agency.
Mrs. Brooks spends much time and a great deal of her energy to
see that all responsibilities assigned to her are fulfilled. She
UL 5A
Page 6. dib
has a great deal of concern for the total teaching staff and the
academic program. She demonstrates a great deal of skill inihandling
special assignments as well as the team assignments. In work
attitude Mrs. Brooks is very positive, very cooperative, and uses
a fair amount of initiative. She has been regular in her attendance
and does not abuse privileges. For the calendar year of 1975 Mrs.
Brooks, educator assigned to the detention program has been rated
overall superior in the four work areas. I am extremely fortunate
to have on the detention staff an employee of the capabilities and
the qualities of Mrs. Brooks.
B: Hey dear, that's great. Now who signed that?
L: Mr. Johnson.
B: Give me his full name.
L: Mr. Harold L. Johnson _
B: H-a-r-o-l-d.
L: Yes.
B: H. J son.
L:
B: L. Johnson. Thank you.
L: gg administrator of the detention program, Maryland Training School for
Boys.
B: 4-gafay, that's great. That's simply great. I may give some of that.
Except instead saying it's a commendation)I'll say this is what he had
to say about her.
L: Right.
UL 5A
Page 7. dib
B: You see, is that O.K.?
L: Yes.
B: MSM that's great and I'm so proud of you. And tell the boss not to
beat you up too bad this time.
L: Well, because I thought that that would be the best, you know, to
just give it. I just got it today.
B: Well, then that's currentland so I'll just say, I'll give his name
and say, "Hey he had this..." I'll say, "Mr. Johnson," I'll give
his full name and title, "...had this to say of her and her woreo
ased Tl l i.irisa. I won't give it verbatim, but I'll give
a lot of it, as much of it as possible.
L: O.K., fine.
B: And I wish I had a picture of you.,
1: Oh, my goodness.
B: Mrs. Brooks received her education in Robeson County and in Baltimore,
receiving her B.S. Degree from Pembroke State University and her
M.A. Degree from Copin College, C-o-p-i-n, here. Mrs. Loraine Brooks
is the wife of Mr. Earl, E-a-r-l, C. Brooks. This interview was
originally conducted in order to get a newspaper story on her which
was published in the Carolina Indian Voice....get as much of it as
he wants, you know.
L: Well, I just got this today and I signed it) and this is my evaluation
UL 5A
Page 8. dib
as superiorj=n i ai l 1th 1 a . J zi i she has developed a creative
and innovative program, -fu., u-'m pLUUUL.-i.lg Lthl-iaLgr t. I'm
-tiedongueand I've had so many frustrating moments here, I mean,
aB3B^b for the last few days.
B: Yes.
L: Really frustrating.
B: Well...
L: Let me get that all correct.
B: When I go to your homeI want an interview foray Sr my University
of Florida program from yo a ht o int.
L: Yes, see, I'm in charge of the reading laboratory. I guess you got
that on there, right?
B: kah.y Z5
L: Let me get that, that commission right. Hold on a minute. Let's
see if I can find my material. O.K.? The t Commission on
Afro-American and Indian History and Culture, O.K.? You got that
now? That's right.
B: O.K., good.
L: aiEh, and cF9 I'm on this committee for the Fall Festival for
Baltimore County Public Libraries.
B: ;VA 5j .-.
L: This we have to, it will be a week of activities within the county
and you are supposed to be one of the speakers during that period.
Lp;Be
UL 5A
Page 9. dib
B: JPta r you'll keep me reminded, won't you?
L: Of course I wi
B: Well, I appreciate that dear. I need so much reminding.
7
L: So what are you going, are you going to tell me what you're going
to put in there? You're going to put part of this evaluation, right?
B: Yes, I gave you a general idea, but I might not be able to get back to
youybecause you'll probably be in bed when I get through with it.
Qg.i but I'm going to work on it right now and while it's fresh in
my mind and I've got the notes...
L: Well you, you...
B: ...tape recorded.
L: ...you recorded this other stuff, right?
B: Yes, I've got, I've got, I'm recording our entire conversation
B: And I want, you'll have to trust me now because ...
B: ...probably won't see you and I want to get it in in the morning.
L: All right, O.K. then, I'll talk to you later.
B: O.K. 0l-ma' s, sleep tight and give that old boy friend of yours and
mine a great old big kiss and tell him you won't do it anymore.
: All right, O.K. then.
1: O.K.?
t-: All right. All right then, good night.
UL 5A
Page 10. dib
"A Good night. Thanks a lot.
L: -TBViiK, bye bye.
B: Bye bye. What you have just heard is a telephone interview with
Mrs. Loraine Brooks whose husband is Mr. Earl Brooks. This will
give some insight into the business of interviewing for newspapers.
This interview was ISMaBy made for the Carolina Indian Voice. When
a reporter knows someone personally he will be pue*y apt to throw
in some personal remarks, auewaavwg those niceties and pleasantries
of life that oil the machinery of human relations. The Brooks
live in the Hamilton area. They own a large, beautiful home in
I imagine a very expensive neighborhood.
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